On a sliding center sill-type of railway car the sliding center sill and car coupler are simultaneously movable longitudinally relative to the car body due to slack action and also angularly in a sidewise direction as a result of movement of the bolster and body relative to the truck frame as the car travels around a curve. This sliding center sill-type of railway car often has a brake pipe end cock carried by the car coupler. One end of this cock is connected by a flexible hose to one end of the brake pipe which is carried by and extends from end to end of the car body, and the other end has connected thereto one end of a hose the opposite end of which carries a hose coupling that may be manually coupled to a corresponding hose coupling at the adjacent end of the next car in the train. Such a brake pipe end cock is located substantially midway the width of the car. Therefore, in order to provide adequate safety to railway operating personnel, it is desirable that such a brake pipe end cock be operated from either side of the car thereby making it unnecessary for a member of a train crew to go between two adjacent cars to open or close this cock.
Accordingly, it is the general purpose of this invention to provide a double handle self-locking mechanism, operable from either side of a railway car, to effect rotation of the valve of a brake pipe end cock, movably supported by and beneath a coupler head or shank, from an open to a closed position and vice versa.